English Title: Grid
Korean Title: 그리드
Director(s): Lee Khan
Screenwriter(s): Lee Soo-yeon
Studio: Ace Factory & Arc Media
Released: 2022
Runtime: 10 episodes, ~55m each.
Starring: Seo Kang-joon, Kim Ah-joong, Kim Mu-yeol, Lee Si-young, Kim Sung-kyun
My Verdict: Attempts to be a sci-fi mystery-thriller trying to catch a time-traveller. Not a bad idea but pacing could be better and not enough closure.
● The opening sequences are somewhat representative of the pacing of the entire series. It shows a coronal mass ejection or something like it which hits Earth protected by a planetary shield. There is no dialogue. Although it is nice to start with visuals to set the scene, this drags for a few minutes which is too long for this kind of opening.
● The sequence ends with a montage of flash cuts from the rest of the series and a voiceover that tells the premise: the planetary shield called the “Grid” was completed in 2004, just in time to protect the Earth from the abovementioned solar event. It is a clumsy exposition but efficient. Then the audience is shown South Korea turning on the Grid. This scene drags on for over ten minutes when the viewer has just been told.
● Then jump to the present in 2021 with two lead characters:
Kim Sae-ha (Seo Kang-joon) works at the bureau that runs the Grid. His father died under mysterious circumstances over twenty years ago working at the institute that was the bureau’s precursor. He now works at the bureau in search of answers.
Jung Sae-byeok (Kim Ah-joong) is a cop trying to catch the murderer Kim Ma-nok (Kim Sung-kyun). During the pursuit, a woman tries to stop her but then disappears in front of her eyes…
● This disappearing woman referred to as “Ghost” (Lee Si-young) was responsible for creating the Grid over twenty years ago. She is apparently a time traveller from the future. The bureau, including Sae-ha, has been searching for her. The plot is basically the search for her and for answers.
● As a mystery-thriller, it tries to withhold information. This is expected but then the narrative tries too hard, in effect deliberating halting plot progression.
● Each episode has little happening, particularly in the first half of the series. Although it does well enough to maintain some tension, there is little exposition and the episode ends with a dramatic moment even if it is not quite a cliffhanger. This may be acceptable for information unknown to the characters but not background information that the characters already know. There is no reason to withhold that from the audience for too long.
● In other words, just like the opening, each episode tends not to reveal much and then clumsily dump something before the end. It is only in the second half of the series when the pace picks up.
● As expected, there is a common theme of “changing the past” or the limitations of such attempts. The series is not Groundhog Day (1993) but there are glimpses of it when [Spoiler] Sae-ha tries to do things differently from how the Ghost does it, thereby changing the future.
● Thankfully, it does not lecture the audience on climate change.
● The cinematography and film editing are not bad, mostly conventional for the genre and going for a dark but sleek look. The set designs are very modern and fitting to the sci-fi genre, minimalist and moderately brutalist.
● Although mostly derivative, the premise is not a bad idea. There is enough originality to be intriguing even if it is another time-travel story. On balance, each episode need not be almost one hour long and the series would be better at 6 to 8 episodes rather than 10.
● Another problem is that there is insufficient explanation of the future world which Ghost comes from. Related to that, whilst there is nothing wrong with introducing new elements in preparation for a second season, this occurs too late in the series and there is not enough explanation and resolution of this season.
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